Now imagine the scene in which thousands are fleeing the country for refugee camps. Many Somalis are journeying to Kenyan camps. The journey between the two countries is perilous and people are making it without sustenance and resources. And as is often the case in international disaster scenarios, traditionally vulnerable populations are rendered even more at risk.

“Once they cross the Somalia-Kenya border or reach Dadaab – the world’s largest refugee settlement – their hopes of finding a safe haven are often overshadowed by new dangers and hardships, including the risk of rape,” Wallström said.

There are international efforts underway to respond to violence against women in conflict regions. The International Violence against Women Act (IWAVA) (HR 4594/S 2982) introduced on February 4, 2011 is one approach. It presents a comprehensive plan for US foreign assistance to prevent and remedy violence against women and girls. The bill has important provisions for addressing violence against women during and after armed conflict. It would support trauma counseling, medical assistance, legal services, and economic opportunity programs for women in countries affected by conflict. Here’s more about IWAVA and how to support it.

The first rule of domestic violence in China is don’t talk about domestic violence in China. Victims face “fear and shame” when they speak out within”a culture that denies there is a problem,” as Kim Lee, an American advocate who was married to an abusive Chinese partner, told the New York Times. Abusers are almost never held to account. Confucian patriarchal norms blame women for domestic discords, inadequate law enforcement has little understanding of abusive relationship dynamics, and the public is largely apathetic. Though pending legislative changes may better situation, China is to date an ideal place for domestic ...

Ed. note: This post was originally published on the Community site.

*Trigger warning: domestic violence and sexual assault*

The first rule of domestic violence in China is don’t talk about domestic violence in China. Victims face “fear and ...

In the op-ed, Xiao Meili describes her own feminist awakening in the context of China’s current political landscape. Like so many of us, she remembers a growing awareness of unequal dynamics within the family in her childhood, having this sense bolstered in college with feminist readings, and then creating a community of feminists to take to the streets, the Internet, and across the world.

Xiao Meili and her fellow feminists in China are fighting for similar issues that this great Feministing community also puts ...

A few days ago, Germany’s highest court finally struck down a state law that had banned women from wearing headscarves in classrooms. But the decision, a victory after more than a decade of legal and public debate, is sadly an isolated sign of optimism within an increasingly bleak picture of Western countries marginalizing Muslim women for the way they dress.

Earlier this month, France’s women’s minister expressed support for a university-wide headscarf ban, arguing: “I’m not sure the headscarf is part of higher education.” (The fact that she is the country’s secretary for women’s rights is particularly awkward.) Her comments came as former president Nicolas Sarkozy proposed banning female students from wearing headscarves at all French universities. In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen ...

A few days ago, Germany’s highest court finally struck down a state law that had banned women from wearing headscarves in classrooms. But the decision, a victory after more than a decade of legal and public ...